The role of factors within the primary familial environment is one of the critical problem areas in the understanding of factors contributing to the development of adult psychopathology, particularly the schizophrenic and sociopathic disorders. This research program concentrates on three lines of experimental investigations in collateral but related areas which are aspects of an overall integrated research program. The first is an examination of parent-child interaction in families of non-psychotic disturbed children in a variety of controlled situations designed to identify the idiosyncratic interaction stresses within the family. Their behavior to these stresses is examined with a view toward identifying those components which may contribute to the shaping of particular coping patterns characterizing adult schizophrenics. The cohort of families includes some who are at risk for developing schizophrenia. The second area is the assessment under relatively controlled conditions of factors in the intra-familial relationships which may differentiate groups of disturbed adolescents who vary in types of presenting problems and symptoms. The third phase of this research is concerned with developing methods for early detection of adolescents at risk for adult pathology, and for early intervention in a way which will increase their effectiveness as adults. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Goldstein, M.J. and Jones, J.E. Adolescent and familial precursors of borderline and schizophrenic conditions. In P. Hartocollis (Ed.), The Menninger Conference on the Borderline Syndrome. New York: Brunner-Mazel, in press, 1976. Goldstein, M.J., Rodnick, E.H., Jones, J.E., McPherson, S.R. and West, K.L. Familial precursors of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. In L. Wynne and R. Cromwell (Eds.), Second Rochester International Conference on Schizophrenia, New York: Wiley-Interscience, in press, 1976.